Resolution on Crude Oil Shipments Through Logan Square

The following resolution was endorsed by the LSNA Health and Safety Committee and will go before the LSNA board for approval at the September 9 board meeting.

To: LSNA Health & Safety
Committee

From: Rivers Edge Condominium

Proposed
Resolution:

Railroad
Safety Through Logan Square

WHEREAS: The quantity of hazardous materials,
specifically crude oil shipments being transported in the United States, is
growing exponentially (from 65,751 carloads per year in 2011, to 407,642
carloads in 2013: Source: NY Times);

WHEREAS: Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) [the
former SUNOCO South Philadelphia refinery] receives “more than two 100-car
trains of crude oil a day” from the “CSX line that travels on the east bank of
the Schuylkill” according to Philip L. Rinaldi, Chief Executive Officer of the
refinery (Source: The Inquirer,
1/22/14);

WHEREAS: “A safety alert issued by the U.S.
Department of Transportation warns the public, emergency responders, and
shippers about the potential high volatility of the crude being shipped from
the Bakken oil shale patch in Montana and North Dakota” (Source: The Inquirer, 1/3/14);

WHEREAS: “Following a string of explosive
accidents, federal officials said that crude oil being shipped by rail from the
Northern Plains across the United States and Canada—including shipments to
Philadelphia-area refineries—may be more flammable than traditional forms of
oil” (Source: The Inquirer, 1/3/14);

WHEREAS: “Make no mistake, an incident involving
rail transport of oil will occur in the commonwealth, and lives, including
first responders’ lives, and property will be put at risk. These incidents have
occurred in the past, and they will occur in the future.” Former U.S. Rep. Curt
Weldon testifying at a hearing on the proposed rail terminal in Eddystone,
Delaware County, Source: The Inquirer,
3/6/14;

WHEREAS: Recent derailments of heavy Canadian
crude oil have occurred in the past six months in Philadelphia and Western
Pennsylvania;

WHEREAS: “American railroads have long operated
under federal laws that shield them from local or state oversight and provide a
blanket of secrecy over much of their operations.” Source: NY Times, 4/16/14;

WHEREAS: “In 2005, the District of Columbia and a
handful of other communities sought to stop the traffic of hazardous products
in the city centers. But the ban was successfully challenged in federal court
by CSX. ‘It’s hard for the regulator and industry not to become somewhat
comfortable with each other’s dance moves—like in an old marriage,’ said Reuven
Carlyle, a representative in the Washington State Legislature and chairman of
the House finance committee. ‘But you shouldn’t have double-secret
nondisclosure agreements. Information is not a luxury. Regular people have a
right to this information.’” (Source: NY
Times, 4/16/14).

THEREFORE: The Logan Square Neighborhood Association
requests the Mayor and City Council of Philadelphia take the following steps:

1.Actively join with other State and Local Governments,
community groups, business and local organizations to demand from Federal
regulators and the railroad industry that public safety be the highest priority
in all decisions and actions taken concerning the scheduling and routing of hazardous
material shipments.

2.Demand that the U.S. Congress pass legislation which
requires local governments to be fully-informed of hazardous material shipments
through their communities, and that an appropriate and meaningful regulatory
role be created for local governments in the shipment of hazardous materials
through their territory.

3.Demand national legislation that requires railroad
companies provide appropriate bond or insurance coverage to protect local
communities from the potential harm their hazardous materials shipments pose,
and to indemnify the public from the potential calamities and dangers of these
shipments.

Addendum

View of oil shipment from Rivers Edge Condominium showing proximity to
Rivers Edge, Edgewater (the white building on the right edge), and the
Schuylkill Park between the railroad and the river.